Christiana bill to help low-income students passes in state House
The state House Tuesday approved legislation authored by Rep. Jim Christiana, R-Beaver, to ensure low-income students are connected with the educational resources needed to land family-sustaining jobs.
House Bill 934 would redesign the Keystone Education Yields Success program to support students who want to get an associate’s degree or certification for a high-demand occurpation from state community colleges, universities or career and technical schools.
The program is an academic support group assisting low-income students who are seeking additional training or certification. The KEYS program does not pay tuition, but provides career mentoring, tutoring and academic support.
Under current law, students can take full advantage of the KEYS program for just 12 months, leading to a large number of dropouts. The legisation would extend the program to 24 months.
The bill now moves to the Senate for consideration.